Tag Archives: Learning Disabilities

Children with a learning disability start developing an inferiority complex as they feel out of place with other normal students. Learning disability is nothing, but a phenomenon in which children have difficulty in reading, writing, learning spellings or arranging things in proper order by themselves. However, it does not mean that they have less potential than any other student. It is just that children with a learning disability have to be taught with a little more attention and different approach. If they get favourable situations, then they have the ability to perform just as any other student and in many cases better than them. Conventional classroom teaching is not just enough for these students, and so both parents and teachers should work towards making things much easier for such students. Here are some tips both for parents and teachers:

Do not become a constant reminder

A child who is not able to learn and perform like the other children of his age gets highly demotivated. This feeling annoys him, and he starts distancing himself from studies and places where he is reminded about his disability. In such a situation if parents and teachers constantly keep on reminding the child about his weakness then he becomes stubborn. Instead of being sympathetic towards such children it is always better to guide them to being strong and pursue the path of learning. In order to make the child independent try to devise strategies that would divert the children with learning disability towards believing that they are no different from others.

Breakdown of learning process is essential

In the conventional learning process, the teachers and parents are able to teach the children directly. It means that a normal child will be able to follow multiple instructions given at the same time. However, same is not applicable to the children with learning disability. For them, instructions are to be divided into smaller tasks. For example, if the child has to learn the spelling of independent, then instead of making him learn it in one go, spelling can be broken into smaller sections. Say in+depend+ent, can be the possible solution to make them learn the spelling without getting confused. This would also help them to remember the same for a long period of time.

Use of graphics for teaching

Various studies have revealed that the students with a learning disability find it difficult to learn or gather knowledge from verbal lectures. Rather, they find it easy to correlate things with graphics, diagrams, pictures and charts. For example, if one explains the body parts verbally it would be difficult for the child to learn and remember. If the body parts are systematically explained with the help of a diagram, then the child would be able to grasp with convenience and remember it as well. Similarly, different kind of fruits or flowers can be taught to the child with a learning disability by letting them physically touch and feel them instead of verbally letting them learn the names.

Regular feedbacks are equally important

Even after using special techniques for teaching the students, it might not be helping the children. How would the parents and teachers be able to identify the same? It is easy to identify whether the strategies are helping the students or not. Feedbacks are the easiest way of doing so. By asking simple questions and letting the child answer in either yes or no will not only help in finding out the flaws of teaching methods but will also help in building up the child’s confidence. It will enable the students to convey what they feel and in this way can learn how to converse with people.

Prompt can be a solution for easy learning

Apart from pictures and graphics prompt can also prove to be a better way of making things understandable for the child with learning disability. Prompts include instructions, actions and instructions based on senses like touch, feel and taste. These are useful for teaching the children about various things that become difficult explaining through simple lectures. For example, if you are teaching the children with a learning disability about different tastes then it would be better that you let them experience all of them by tasting them. Say sour taste can be explained to the children by letting them sip a few drops of lemon. In this way when the child would get to taste something sour the next time he will immediately remember it from experience. Thus, this method is sometimes called learning by experiencing.

Stepping off the stage

If sufficient time has elapsed since you have changed your teaching methodology for children with learning disability. Then it is advisable to bring the children forward to the stage in public. It might be difficult for the first time, but if kept motivated they would build up their confidence. Initially, they would feel shy, but with constant support and prompting, they would become habitual to share their views with all. For the first time give them simpler tasks like making a sentence from a given the word and applaud for them if they complete it properly. Then keep on increasing the complexity of tasks slowly. This progressive method would build up the degree of confidence and at the same time will inculcate the urge to learn and perform better publically.

These steps must be followed by teachers as well as students. Scolding and beating children is not a solution. It may also happen that you might not be aware that your child has a learning disability. Lack of interest in studies, difficulty in following multiple instructions at the same time, the problem in learning and remembering spellings might be some common symptoms that a child may depict. Identify these symptoms and let your child grow under your support and care. Apart from the techniques you must have regular discussions with your ward and maintain a healthy relation so that he can share anything and everything with you.